What's Missing On Your Almighty Calendar, Supermom.

Mother’s Day is coming right up. There are a lot of supermoms out there. I mean it. I remember the frantic pace of raising teenagers. I was a full time working mom while my daughters were in high school. It felt like I ran a marathon every day. Up at 5:45 am, out the door by 6:30 am, commute & work, race to a field by 3:30 pm, drive someone to a doctor’s appointment, scramble to figure out dinner, throw in a load of laundry, drive someone else to pick up supplies for a project, prep for the next day, shower and hit the pillow by 11:00 pm. I was always on the go!

As supermom, I tried to attend as many games as possible, as many formal dance photo shoots (or whatever those pre-prom parties are called) as possible, and volunteered at school as much as possible. Then, I’d try to fit in “Me-Time”, “Girls’ Night Out”, and “Date Night with hubby.” Fortunately we scheduled vacations as often as we could (if sports would allow it, ugh.) But, if it wasn’t on the almighty calendar, it didn’t exist…and there wasn’t enough unscheduled time on our calendar.

When I think back on my own teenage-hood, you might be surprised by one of my most cherished moments with my mother. Full disclosure: I don’t have a typical mother-daughter relationship with my mother. In fact, I didn’t grow up living with my mother. I saw my mother by appointment whether to say hello or to celebrate a holiday.

On one of those pre-arranged visits to New Paltz, NY, my mother asked me to go on an errand with her. It was a gorgeous day: 80 degrees, bright blue sky, light breeze. We were driving along a road that followed a winding brook. My mother spontaneously pulled over.

My mother and I took off our sandals, waded into the brook & sat together on a big rock and shared an orange that she had stashed in her car. We splashed our feet. We had a light & chatty conversation. We connected. It was a magic moment in my life.

When I think back on all my supermom activities, I know that I checked off all the “right” boxes: sports fan, tutor, self-esteem booster, disciplinarian, hugger, party host, etc. You get the idea. But, how many times was there room in our daily schedule for something as spontaneous as pulling over to the side of the road for 30 minutes to cool off in the water?

Sure, there were plenty of impromptu moments on vacation (a vacation which I planned by the way.) However, I wish there had been more space in our schedules so that there was room for some unplanned, easy-breezy days that were meant simply for connecting (or re-connecting) with one another- without booking a room, driving a car, walking on a field, or going anywhere.

Here’s your reminder for Mother’s Day. Sneak in some unplanned time (maybe on a bike), spend time together for the sole purpose of being together, and keep your eyes (and heart) peeled for those magic moments. Those are the ones that are #worthit.

Have you checked out the new pictures on the website? Have you seen the Special Times page?
Scroll to the Bike Lady’s TRYs. Pick a couple of every day, regular things that we are lucky enough to have in Westport.…and make a day of it!Another simpler option: ride from Imperial Ave to Compo Beach then back to Imperial Ave. via South Compo Rd & Thomas St. Check out the Twilight Route on Ride With GPS.